ZAMBIA’S SELFIE CRAZE THE NEW RAGE – Sakwiba Sikota

Selfies are photographs that are taken of you by yourself. Selfies are an expression of self indulgence by those who feel they are the centre of all things.

These are often narcissistic. A lot of them rebound in a terrible way like Anthony Weiner’s selfie. At the time of the Weiner’s picture being taken Weiner thought it was a pretty bright idea but we all know what that led to.

This craze in Zambia may lead some into a similar cock up as Weiner found himself in with his selfie. After his unfortunate exposure everything quickly all went “south” for him.

The Commissioner General of the Zambia Revenue Authority could take a professional selfie by importing hundreds of containers of goods into the country. When the customs officers at the border do their assessment as to what is due to the State in taxes and duties on the containers imported by their Chief Executive, the Commissioner General could simply state that under the law he has power to waive or defer taxes or penalties and is therefore waiving or deferring the taxes, duties or penalties he was supposed to pay.

There are certain drugs which are addictive and can only be prescribed by a doctor to the addict to ensure that the addict does not go deeper into his addiction. The Zambian Selfie Doctor who is addicted to morphine or some other drug can use the legal power to prescribe any drug to anyone. In this way the doctor can permanently maintain himself on cloud nine.

If the Judge in Charge at some District High Court Registry is sued, the case has to be allocated to a judge to preside over. The person with the power to allocate the case is the Judge In Charge. Using the recent precedent set of a wave of Selfies going across Zambia, the judge in Charge can allocate the case, where he is being sued, to himself. Thereafter he can dismiss the case and even condemn the Plaintiff to “punitive and aggravated costs”.

The Zambian police Officer in Charge who has caught the Selfie craze if arrested and put into the cells for some offense can always give themselves a selfie Police Bond that they sign for themselves. After all the Officer in Charge of a police station has the legal power to release anyone detained at their police station.

The narcissism shown above at times is seen as a psychological disorder known as “Extreme Narcissism”. Extreme narcissists need success and are pre-occupied with themselves and their self perceptions of being at the centre of the Universe. This egotistical preoccupation with self makes them believe that rules that apply to others do not apply to them.

Extreme narcissism usually starts with an emotional wound that leads to emotional detachment. These people feel that other people are merely there to be used by them. Extreme narcissists tend to eventually cut of others and become emotionally isolated due to a major attachment dysfunction that leaves them frozen in their childhood and forever haunted by their childhood trauma.

You must therefore look out for people in positions of power or influence who develop the narcissistic trait of selfies like the examples I have shown above. The narcissist will often tell you that they did what many of us would consider to be outrageous, “because I can.”

Should any of the above happen, I suggest you immediately make a complaint to the Director of Public Prosecution pointing out that these are clear cases of abuse of authority.

I am sure that the DPP will give his consent to prosecute in these circumstances and probably say, “These are the cases of abuse of authority amounting to corruption that I have vowed to fight. Yes I know that doctors have the legal right to prescribe dangerous or even narcotic drugs. It is also clear that an Officer in Charge of a police station has the discretion to release on police bond anyone detained at his police station. It is also true that the Commissioner General of ZRA has power to waive or defer certain taxes, penalties and duties. It is also trite law that the Judge in Charge allocates cases. However this trend of selfies in matters relating to decisions being made by an interested party is something I will not tolerate. It is just not right and amounts to corruption and abuse of office.”

Narcissists taking selfies are despicable crooks and a blight on society. It is a pity that it seems to be becoming popular in Zambia. People are boldly doing things simply “because I can.”

The DPP must keep an eye out for such despicable crooks and stop the rot before it takes hold. This is the only way that this new Zambian Selfie craze will stop being the new rage.